The annual Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services of the Council of Europe, to be held on 21 and 22 May in Ayia Napa (Cyprus), will discuss the advantages and pitfalls when using new technologies in the management of suspects and offenders, and the central place of the human...

The Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe passed today from Finland to France, after a meeting attended by 30 foreign affairs ministers from the Organisation’s member countries. Addressing the Committee of Ministers, the outgoing Chairman, Timo Soini, Minister for...

As the Council of Europe is celebrating its 70th anniversary, over 30 Foreign Affairs Ministers from the 47 member states reaffirmed the importance of the Organisation as a unique platform for dialogue and co-operation. Meeting in Helsinki for their annual session, the Ministers declared that:...

On the occasion of the meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe’s 47 member states on 16 and 17 May 2019 in Helsinki (Finland), a celebratory treaty event has allowed governments to sign and/or ratify a number of Conventions, as follows: Protocol amending the...

The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, also known as the Macolin Convention, will enter into force on 1 September. Switzerland today became the fifth Council of Europe member state to ratify the convention – following Norway, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova...

The Council of Europe organised a regional conference on tackling online child sexual exploitation and abuse on 16 and 17 May in Strasbourg. It is the first major event of the Council of Europe’s project to end online child sexual exploitation and abuse @ Europe (EndOCSEA@Europe). While the exact...

The Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe’s 47 member States will hold their annual meeting on 16 and 17 May 2019 in Helsinki (Finland). On this occasion, the Ministers will be invited to take key decisions for the future of the Organisation which is currently facing a number of...

How do we begin to address the challenge information pollution? Since the results of the ‘Brexit’ vote in the UK, Donald Trump’s victory in the US and Kenya’s recent decision to nullify its national election result, there has been much discussion of how information disorder is influencing...

Ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia marked on the 17th of May, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland urged for justice and full protection against discrimination for all persons, irrespective of their sexual orientation, gender identity and...

Ensuring that human rights are strengthened and not undermined by artificial intelligence is one of the key factors that will define the world we live in”, says Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, in a Recommendation published today. This Recommendation – entitled...

“I welcome the support expressed today by the Committee of Ministers to the promotion and protection of sign languages in Europe”, stated Timo Soini, Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland on 14 May. In a reply to the Parliamentary...

Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)10 May 2019Strasbourg

In the report on Georgia published today, the Council of Europe anti-torture Committee welcomed the absence of allegations of ill-treatment in the institutions visited, commended the efforts to address overcrowding, improve access to healthcare and living conditions. However, the committee urged...

“Racial or ethnic profiling in policing has been defined as “the use by the police, with no objective and reasonable justification, of grounds such as race, colour, languages, religion, nationality or national or ethnic origin in control, surveillance or investigation activities”. Though by no...

Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)9 May 2019Strasbourg

The monitoring of a return flight of Afghan nationals from Munich to Kabul (Afghanistan) on 14 August 2018 is the subject of a new report published today by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) (see the executive...

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation delivered today, on the occasion of Europe Day, the "Carlos V European Award" to the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme. His Majesty the King of Spain presented the prize to the Council of Europe´s Secretary General...